Urban planning - KaBOOM! News

In an Atlantic Cities article published earlier this week—“The Decline of the Family-Friendly City”—Kaid Benfield asked, “In our rush to promote higher-density urbanism, are we inadvertently creating child-free zones that are inhospitable to families with kids? And, if so, are we diminishing part of the cultural diversity that makes great cities?”

Benfield answers yes—urban areas are increasingly unfriendly to children and this does diminish the greatness of cities. He also suggests that the solution includes investment in child-friendly infrastructure—playgrounds, parks, kid-friendly restaurants, and so on. In other words, we need to create urban environments that enable children to play.

As Benfield points out, there is growing momentum to increase walkability in cities across the country, as more and more people seek more active and environmentally-friendly lifestyles. Now is the time to accelerate the playability movement. There are encouraging signs from innovative cities that are leveraging underutilized resources and unexpected spaces in creative ways to make play the easy option for families—from play trails in Pierre, S.D., to Chicago, Ill., undergoing a holistic investment for play in schools and communities. Join us in creating truly great, playable cities where children play everywhere and can reach their full potential.